Mercedes-Benz GLA45 2014 News

The new car market may not be performing but sports cars are.The latest VFACTS figures show Australians are racing to performance vehicles in record numbers and are happy to spend more than $100,000 to drive their dream car.The $80,000-$200,000 sports car segment is up more than 20 per cent so far this year and dedicated sports vehicles overall account for about one in 20 new cars sold.That doesn’t include go-fast versions of regular models, an area where the Germans continue to dominate.The move isn’t limited to prestige European brands: HSV is on track to eclipse 3000 sales in 2014. HSV marking boss Damon Paul says there’s still strong momentum forthe Gen-F range.Range Rover Sport sales have doubled this year to 2200, while Jaguar sales are up 15 per cent.Iconic sports car maker Porsche has had 44 per cent growth, with 2224 vehicles.The German trio — Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz — are all posting records.Audi’s S and RS models are the fastest movers and are likely to rival HSV in terms of overall sales this year.More than 2400 buyers have chosen Audi performance models, against about 800 sales at the same time last year. That number should surge over the next couple of months with the introduction of the S1 Sportback, which at $49,900 is the cheapest quattro model in the four-ringed line-up.Benz has shifted more than 2200 of its AMG-badged cars and can likewise expect a surge in sales after last month’s GLA45 AMG compact SUV launch.It is a similar story at BMW, despite a gap between the run-out of its old M3 and the launch of the new M3 sedan and M4 coupe/convertible.BMW has sold 1142 M-badged cars to October’s end, a 75 per cent increase on 2013.

More and more small-car buyers are finding their $20,000-something budget can upgrade them from what they need into the SUV they really want.A small SUV explosion is hitting showrooms and, as Mazda teases its CX-3 this week ahead of the Los Angeles show, it looks as if every brand that's serious about winning new owners is focusing on that segment. It's much easier to get a first-car buyer hooked on your brand than to win a convert later, which is why so much advertising is now aimed at on twenty-somethings and the SUVs they crave."People like them, they're practical, they're flexible, and you can sit up high. And there is an adventure element, even if you never use it," says Mazda Australia marketing chief Alastair Doak."With these vehicles, because they're priced from the low $20,000s and up, more people are realising they can actually afford an SUV." The boom has pitched the Ford EcoSport and Holden Trax against the Subaru XV, probably the best looker but limited by lacklustre performance and an undersized boot.The two biggest sellers in the class, the Hyundai ix35 and Volkswagen Tiguan, will be punted out of the competition in 2015. They are both beyond the size limits for a 'small' SUV tag, something now recognised by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.So the pecking order will change, even more with the arrival of the CX-3 and Renault Captur, denied to Australia for nearly a year as a result of booming worldwide demand."It's a big growth segment and we're keen to jump into that. This gives us an entry right at the sweet spot," says Doak of the CX-3.He believes the new Mazda can change the rules in the class, just as the Mazda3 and latest Mazda2 are doing, with a combination of an efficient 1.5-litre SkyActiv engine and front-wheel drive, good looks and classy finishing. As to price, he merely says the CX-3 will be very competitive when it arrives next year."We are going to treat this with the respect it deserves," he says, "and make sure we have a full line-up of models." He expects the arrival of so many baby SUVs to create much wider ripples in Australian motoring, by winning sales from the small-car class rather than the cars with which they share platforms. So that could mean fewer people will buy a Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla or Mazda3.If that's true, it could tip the balance of power completely in favour of work-and-play utes in the fight for No. 1 in showrooms. The Toyota HiLux has topped the sales charts several times and, with a new model landing in 2015, it could become a longer-term leader in Australia.CHOICESHolden Trax - Three starsPrice: From $23,990Engine: 1.8-litre 4-cyl, 103kW/175NmTransmission: 5-speed man; FWDThirst: 7.0L/100kmLowdown: Not the best in the class but a very strong seller thanks to the pricing, Holden badge and recent engine upgrade. It's the benchmark but doesn't set the bar too high for comparison drives.Mercedes-Benz GLA - Four starsPrice: From $47,900Engine: 2.1-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel, 100kW/300NmTransmission: 7-speed auto; FWDThirst: 4.6L/100kmLowdown: Best of the new-generation Benz babies but also one of the dearest in the class. Works very well as a basic front-drive turbo diesel. The AMG 45 is the one to get if you have an unlimited budget.Subaru XV - Three starsPrice: From $28,490Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 110kW/196NmTransmission: CVT; AWDThirst: 7.0L/100kmLowdown: Good-looking, well-built with security of AWD. Not a great performer and small boot is a major flaw for kid-friendly motoring. Good for city singles.SECOND-HANDThe Nissan Dualis is the one for me, even though it's now called the Qashquai after the arrival of an all-new model a couple of months ago.It's the right size for most people, is well priced and drives well enough, and there is even a seven-seater if you need it.The Dualis is not as sexy as newer arrivals, because it hit before the youth drive in small SUVs, but it still does most things right. Nissan's long-term warranty and the basic quality also make sense for the longer haul.

The Mercedes-Benz tie-up with Nissan-Renault for supply of some engines could result in a baby X-Class SUV based on the little Nissan Juke and Renault Captur.The German brand's head of research and development, Thomas Weber, told the UK's Auto Express a crossover was under consideration to sit below the coming A-Class based GLA and GLA45 AMG. “We are watching it closely, but there are other gaps in the range that are more interesting,” he is cited as saying.Previous reports in German media have suggested that the engine tie-up between the companies could result in a small crossover based on the same platform that underpins the Juke and Captur -- and likely powered by the turbo engine from the latter.That means a 1.6-litre twin-turbocharged four-cylinder unit developing 118kW of power and 380Nm of torque. However if the project gets the nod, expect interiors to be considerably more upmarket to distance the Merc from its Nissan-Renault cousins.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The baby of the AMG-tuned Mercedes-Benz SUV line-up will bow at Detroit motor show this week, but the German brand is already giving us a first look at the production version on the road in official video.Facing off against the coming Porsche Macan and Audi RSQ3, the GLA45 has added AMG wizardry to the GLA-Class crossover, with a lower-riding body on stiffer suspension -- with an even more hardcore ride as an optional extra.It gets an angry-looking aerodynamic bodykit, 19-inch or optional 20-inch wheels with AMG-badged brake calipers, and the chance to dress things up further with more carbon-fibre. The interior also gets the sporty treatment with huggy seats and chunky wheel with F1-style paddle shifters.Under the clamshell bonnet is the same handbuilt 256kW/450Nm 2.0-litre with twin-scroll turbocharged engine found in the A45 AMG and CLA45 AMG -- getting you to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and on to a peak speed of 250km/h -- with a seven-speed DSG driving the front wheels for everyday use and all four as needed in a 50:50 torque split. The ESP is switchable to Sport or Off, and has torque-vectoring to apply imperceptible braking on the rear inside wheel to aid cornering.The GLA45 AMG will hit showrooms in other markets after mid-2014, but arrival here hasn't yet been confirmed -- although with a growing buyer appetite for luxury crossovers, you can bet the local HG are already working on the business case spreadsheets.

Mercedes-Benz performance arm AMG has revealed photos and details at Los Angeles motor show of the new GLA45 AMG concept we got glimpses of yesterday in a teaser video.

The most anticipated of Benz's new SUV babies is the all-new GLA45 AMG.

As many as eight SUVs will crowd into Mercedes-Benz showrooms in Australia within five years as the German brand expands its family-friendly lineup. The most important of Benz's new babies is the all-new GLA, but it is expected to be followed by a tiddler, a crossover coupe based on the ML and a youthful newcomer built from last year's Ener-G-Force concept. The mid-sized GLK, which has been a glaring Australian omission in recent years in a class dominated by the Audi Q3 and BMW X3, is already confirmed below the existing ML, GL and G-Class. It is coming in 2015 as the second-generation GLK is finally built with right-hand drive. But it's the GLA which will make the biggest impact next year, as Benz's five-model compact drive nears its conclusion. The GLA is one of four models now confirmed - after the A-Class and B-Class that are on sale, as well as the CLA coupe - with one still secret.It's most-obvious rival is the Range Rover Evoque, a design-driven success that's been a sellout around the world. The GLA is coming in the second quarter of 2014 and company spokesman, David McCarthy, says it will do a similar re-set job in the SUV class to the A-Class that has drawn buyers from a range of cheaper rivals including the Volkswagen Golf. "The obvious competitors are amongst our German colleagues. But where it will be positioned on price, there will be a lot of people who lift their expectation from something like a Subaru," he says, without actually revealing the price. McCarthy says the GLA is the most important of the compact newcomers, even though the A and B-Class have been selling strongly. "We're excited about it. The compact SUV category is very strong. And we want to play there. "It's also an important stepping stone to the GLK, the ML, and further up the SUV range." And he cannot resist a swipe at the GLA's likely rivals. "Dare I say, it's the stylish utility vehicle," he says tongue-in-cheek. "It looks great and it's something very new for us. But we're going to have problems with supply." As details of the GLA become public, McCarthy confirms a commitment to AMG performance models - the A45 is already up and running in Australia - for everything short of the B. "There will be AMG versions of all of them, except for the B Class. This year we will potentially do 1500 AMGs in total," he says. Mercedes is forecasting more than 1000 baby-car sales this year, as the brand looks to beat BMW in the showroom stakes. "People joke about this, but our goal is to sell every single car that we put our name against for a profit. We don't believe it moving forwards by looking backwards," says McCarthy. This report is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

As many as eight SUVs will crowd into Mercedes-Benz showrooms in Australia within five years as the German brand expands its family-friendly lineup. Watch the video here

We know Mercedes-Benz is planning a new compact crossover based on the platform underpinning the CLA and to be labeled a GLA. We also know the vehicle is scheduled to make its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show on September 10. Now we have our first official look thanks to a set of official images that leaked onto the internet just hours after Mercedes released a teaser video and some design sketches. This isn’t the GLA concept car we saw at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show but the production GLA set for a debut next month and due in Australia towards the end of the year, as a 2014 model.  Pricing is expected to be around $45,000-$70,000 to match rivals, with the spread of prices depending on drivetrain and specification. The GLA - which shares the platform and drivetrain with the A250 hatch, the CLA sedan and the B-Class hatch - will be available with similar petrol and diesel engines. That means the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder found in the A250 and base CLA, delivering 155kW of power and 350Nm of torque, with drive sent to either the front or all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Other engines are also on the cards, including 115kW turbo 1.6-litre for the base model GLA200, a 100kW 1.8-litre turbodiesel for the GLA200 CDI, and the 265kW turbo petrol four-cylinder from the A45 AMG. We’ve already seen numerous prototypes, though these have been heavily camouflaged. The images show a rugged vehicle that’s managed to maintain the svelte lines of the previous concept. The GLA echoes the styling of the A250 and other models with a large twin-bar grille and swept-back headlights. But it follows the A250 detail with coupe-style frameless doors, recessed door handles and wrap-around tail lights. Shots of the interior showed a layout virtually identical to that found in the CLA. Key competitors include the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque. www.motorauthority.com